Anglers return to Red River for fifth stop on Wal-Mart FLW Tour
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Half a million dollars will be on the line May 16-19 when 350 bass anglers representing 36 states return to the Red River in search of big bass during the Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop in Shreveport-Bossier, La.
At stake in the tournament presented by ALPO Pet Foods are top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $15,000 in the Co-Angler Division. Top contenders will also be looking to move up in the Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year standings during the event, which is the second to last stop of the regular season.
Chevy Pro Staff angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., leads the Angler of the Year race after four events with 733 points followed by Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., with 694 points and Dale Teaney of Williamsburg, Ohio, with 679 points. Reining Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, who last week won his second Wal-Mart Open and $200,000 on Beaver Lake, is currently in 37th place.
A win on the Red River is worth 200 points. Second place is worth 199 points and third place is worth 198 points. Points diminish in the same fashion down to 26 points for 175th place. The 2001 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year will receive $25,000 plus a fully rigged Ranger bass boat. The top point winner in the Co-Angler Division will be named Eagle Co-Angler of the Year and awarded a fully rigged Ranger bass boat.
During competition each pro fishes from the front of his or her boat and controls its movement throughout the four-day tournament while co-anglers fish from the back of each boat. Anglers in both divisions will compete for two days to make the opening round cut. Only the top 10 anglers in each 175-person division will fish during the one-day semifinal round. Co-angler competition ends after the semifinal round, and the top five pros advance to the final day of competition. Catch weights carry over during the opening round but are cleared for the semifinal and final rounds.
The winner of each regular season tournament plus the top 44 pro and co-anglers based on year-end point totals will qualify to fish for up to $250,000 in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented by CITGO. More than $4.45 million will be awarded to anglers over the course of the 2001 season.
Competition will begin at 6:30 a.m. May 16, 17 and 19 at Clark’s Red River Marina in Elm Grove, La. The marina will also host weigh-ins May 16 and 17 starting at 3 p.m. Takeoff from the marina May 18 is scheduled for 8 a.m. followed by the semifinal round weigh-in at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 6235 Westport Road in Shreveport. The final weigh-in May 19 at Wal-Mart will start at 3:30 p.m.
The Wal-Mart FLW Tour Family Fun Zone will be open in the Wal-Mart parking lot from 3 to 5 p.m. May 18 and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 19. The Family Fun Zone is a festival featuring free children’s games, interactive displays and product samples from Wal-Mart FLW Tour sponsors.
Fishing fans also have the opportunity to win $1 million without even leaving home. Fans who enter the Visa $2 Million Challenge at www.flwtour.com are eligible to win valuable sponsor prizes and one lucky fan could win $1 million if his Wal-Mart FLW Tour angler catches a state record largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass during the tournament. The angler catching the record bass would also receive $1 million.
No matter who wins the tournament Red River anglers will benefit from a $5,000 donation from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and the FishAmerica Foundation. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife will use the money to continue stocking the Red River with Florida-strain largemouth bass. Initial funding for the stocking program came last year from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and has since resulted in contributions of $50,000. This year’s contribution is part of a $100,000 conservation partnership between Operation Bass, Wal-Mart and FishAmerica that will be used to benefit fisheries and anglers across the country.
For more information on the FishAmerica Foundation, visit the American Sportfishing Association Web site at www.asafishing.org.
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